South Carolina

Sectors it is courting

• Aerospace and Defense
• Agribusiness
• Automotive
• Energy
• Food and Beverage
• Cleantech/Clean Energy
• Chemicals
• Business and Professional Services
• Equipment and Machinery
• Life Sciences

Investment it is seeking from

• Germany
• United Kingdom
• South Korea
• Japan
• Taiwan
• Switzerland
• France
• Ireland
• Spain
• Turkey
• Austria

Supply-chain projects it is looking for

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs), Biotechnology, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Large Capacity Batteries, Medical Devices

Site-selection services it offers

Once a company provides information on expected jobs and capital investment, as well as the size and details of the building needed, a project manager is assigned to the company. This project manager will work closely with the company to select potential buildings and sites using the LocateSC program. Factors such as available workforce, logistics and costs will all be factored in to provide the best location for the company.

Incentive programmes

• Grant

  In South Carolina, people are more than hospitable and place a high value on business. Their reputation as a business location is largely due to an exceptional economic climate that helps companies hold down operating costs and increase their return on investment. In addition, South Carolina’s performance-based tax incentives reward companies for job creation and investment. Plus, South Carolina offers the following statutory incentives: no state property tax, no local income tax, no inventory tax, no sales tax on manufacturing machinery, industrial power or materials for finished products, no wholesale tax, and no unitary tax on worldwide profits. South Carolina offers a favorable corporate income structure. Special state discretionary incentives may be used to meet specific needs.

Shovel-ready sites

• Golden Corner Commerce Center, Oconee County, SC A 322-acre County-owned industrial property strategically located along Interstate 85 between Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina. Located 2 miles from 2 different interchanges, with all utilities on site and all due diligence completed, this property can accommodate a more than 150-acre pad, or 3 million square foot building. With 3 international airports within 130 miles, a landscape surrounded by lakes, rivers, and hiking trails and a workforce of over 200,000 people, Oconee County is the a great combination of industry and lifestyle.

  Site details

• Camp Hall Commerce Park, Berkeley County, SC: Camp Hall is a next generation commerce park, located along Interstate 26 in the Charleston metro area. With a workforce of over half a million and nearly 34 people moving here each day, this thoughtfully designed park was developed with a focus on making people want to come to work. Home to Volvo Cars USA, and with more than 1300 acres available, the fully entitled park offers convenient access with a dedicated interstate interchange, rail potential and proximity to both the Port of Charleston and Charleston International Airport (CHS).

  Site details

• Sherwood Industrial Site, Jasper County, SC: The Sherwood Tract is a 1437-acre industrial site, located within 15 minutes of the Port of Savannah and 90 minutes to the Port of Charleston, just off I-95, the major North-South corridor on the East Coast. Halfway between New York and Miami, the Sherwood Tract is located only 5 minutes from Exit 5 on I-95 in South Carolina, offering frontage to US Hwy 17 and I-95, with CSX Rail adjacent to the site. Due diligence has been completed, with the site offering reliable utility service at competitive rates. The Sherwood Tract is perfect for aerospace or automotive OEMs or suppliers, with its proximity to the two major seaports and the growing aerospace and automotive clusters in Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, GA nearby. The Sherwood Tract also offers the South Atlantic Logistics Terminal, a new $200 million investment in 6 million square feet of warehouse and industrial space.

  Site details

Programmes for international technology startups

The Landing Pad program aims to assist established companies from around the world who are looking to enter either the U.S. or South Carolina markets for the first time by streamlining what can be perceived as an overwhelming process. In addition, the Innovation program also mobilizes the dynamic flow of resources and information among people, industries, and institutions for the prosperity of our citizens.

Programmes for international clean-energy projects

The South Carolina Nexus for Advanced Resilient Energy is a Tech Hub dedicated to leveraging the state's assets grow the nation's grid resiliency.

Incubators and accelerators

• NEXT

  NEXT is a network of entrepreneurs and supporters with the aim of nurturing and promoting local economic growth. From the beginning, NEXT’s goal has been to connect innovative entrepreneurs to a rich network of support and to provide education and opportunities for growth. High-impact small companies are critical to true economic development. In creating a local ecosystem where these ventures will thrive, high-quality jobs and a rich economy will follow. Since its founding in 2006, NEXT has demonstrated the ability to generate a critical mass of high-impact companies in the Upstate region of SC. NEXT has built a collaborative, dynamic ecosystem to support an entrepreneur community of 134 high-impact companies.

• USC Columbia Technology Incubator

  The business incubator at USC has been around for nearly 20 years, and has produced successful companies through education, mentoring and access to an established community. South Carolina helps businesses set goals, monitor their progress, and connect them with valuable resources. South Carolina also provides access to their facilities and services, seminars, workshops, networking events, and gives advice from their network of mentors and expert consultants to connect with peers.

• Charleston Digital Corridor

  The Charleston Digital Corridor (CDC) is a community-sourced initiative to attract, nurture and promote the region's tech economy through an array of impactful programs, products and events while leveraging Charleston, South Carolina’s renowned livability. The CDC is focused on creating the business, education and social environment that is attractive to tech and tech-related companies. Then, the CDC leverages its carefully nurtured relationships, program elements, legislative access, and contacts to assist companies with integrating them into community. This integration is accomplished through four pillars - community, talent, spaces, and capital.

University and workforce programmes

• Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR)

  The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CUICAR) is a premier automotive research, innovation and educational enterprise located in Greenville, South Carolina. CU-ICAR is an advanced-technology research campus where academia, industry, and government organizations come together to shape the future of the automotive industry. Students located at CU-ICAR are pursuing M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in automotive engineering. By studying on the CU-ICAR campus these students have the opportunity to use world-class facilities and to interact with automotive industry professionals.

• Fraunhofer USA - State Alliance Program

  The Fraunhofer foundation is a partnership of the state agency that oversees economic development, university research arms, the business community and organizations focused on technology promotion and innovation. This consortium works with Fraunhofer USA to design and deploy a technical assistance program, spanning basic research to problem definition and conceptualization, to prototyping to commercialization. The program allows state-based businesses to tap Fraunhofer and university resources for solutions to complex issues associated with technology innovation for improvement of production processes, product development, service delivery and a host of other challenges facing today’s businesses. A specific focus on solving competitiveness and innovation issues facing the state’s manufacturing community is often deemed as a priority.

Additional services

All businesses – large and small – are important to South Carolina. As international companies consider the state of South Carolina as a place to operate their business, the state is able to provide detailed information on industry sectors and operating costs, available buildings and sites, introduction to the state’s pro-business environment, government assistance, foreign language assistance and valuable points of contact. Once an international company chooses to locate in South Carolina, the company is eligible for a variety of advisory and support services that are free of charge. These include: SourceSC: A program to help companies locally developed materials and service providers, connecting companies with in-state suppliers and vendors. Export Assistance: Our trade program helps companies develop and grow export markets throughout the world. This includes export counseling, compliance, and a grant available for qualifying companies to exhibit at international trade shows and meet one-on-one with overseas clients in the countries of their choosing. Other services include: Cost Avoidance, Layoff Aversion, Increased Sales, Recycling/Sustainability, Quality & Safety, Employee Training, Business Strategy and Supply Chain Consulting.

Investor account, as submitted

June 2021: Volvo Cars “Our South Carolina team has done a remarkable job producing the award winning S60 and readying the plant for the next generation of electrified Volvo cars,” said Javier Varela, Senior Vice President Industrial Operations & Quality, Volvo Car Group. “Now, with the contract to produce the fully electric Polestar 3, we continue to expand our manufacturing operations for electrified vehicles.” “We are proud to bring these new growth opportunities to Ridgeville [South Carolina] and continue to grow our presence in the United States,” said Anders Gustafsson, Senior Vice President, Volvo Car Americas and President and CEO, Volvo Car USA. The global transformation for Volvo Cars continues with today’s announcement, signifying a cumulative investment of over $1.2 billion into the South Carolina operation with room for future growth. In addition to its manufacturing footprint, Volvo Cars continues to invest heavily in technology and design and its Americas Region sales operation, including employee training and development." [www.media.volvocars.com/us/en-us/media/pressreleases][www.media.volvocars.com/us/en-us/media/pressreleases/283096/volvo-cars-expands-us-electrified-vehicle-production-in-south-carolina-with-new-118-million-investme]

Submitted by the economic development organisation, not independently verified.

Regional partner organisations

• Southern Carolina AllianceNA(803) 541-0023
• Central SC AllianceNA(803) 733-1151
• Upstate SC AllianceNA(864) 283-2302

Who to contact

• Jon BaggettDeputy Director for Global Business Developmentjbaggett@sccommerce.com

1201 Main Street, Suite 1600, Columbia, SC 29201